Trip to the Tulips

May 4, 2014

Each year, a large farm outside of Woodburn, Oregon, holds a tulip festival in the spring. Even though I have lived near the community for more than five years, I have never attended the festival, but I have admired the photos from afar (generally, though blogs and Facebook).

Tulips grow amazingly well in Oregon. Especially in the Willamette Valley, where the combination of cool falls, generally mild winters and intermittently sunny spring days produce what can only be described as almost-optimal growing conditions for the colorful flowers. As a result, many of the local gardeners — both professional and amateur — have the bulbs planted in their soil.

This year, I finally managed to make it to the Tulip Fest, dragging with me a friend from the East Coast. She was probably looking for a warmer, less wet way to spend the day, but I made her go anyway. We made it during the last weekend of the festival, which was still colorful, but was definitely already growing fairly long in the tooth as festivals go. Many of the tulips — grown specifically for their ability to bloom early, mid or late in the spring — were already little more than stalks and leaves, but there was still enough color to showcase the beauty the festival offers each year.

Tulips … yep, that’s a fake windmill in the background.

The “wooden shoes” children get to ride in around the gardens.

Not a tulip, but too beautiful not to share.

The gardens were so beautiful, that I definitely want to visit again. My rules moving forward, though, are:

I will go before the last weekend of the festival — preferably during the work week, when the majority of people are at — well — work

I will go during a sunny day. Of course, that might be easier said than done in Oregon.

I will bring my actual camera with me rather than just my iPhone. I really didn’t plan the trip well this year.